This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. But Skippy always stood by me and was a great friend. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps and garden with me. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees and berry bushes, chickens and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

icy cold

My outdoor thermometer is registering 12*F! Ouch. I'm sitting by the fire and quite comfy. To make my chickens feel a little better, I got a ceramic heater for them and its on for the first time tonight. Its bringing the temp in their coop up to 23*F. I know they are OK are in the bitter cold temps, but I want to keep them happy so they'll lay some eggs soon! No eggs yet. The 3 girls are 22-26 weeks old now. I want eggs!

5 Comments:

It seems we have bottomed out at 11.1*F tonight and temps are coming up a bit now. We have a bit of snow on the way this weekend. Coop temp is holding in low 20's and I'll leave the ceramic heater on overnight. I closed the coop door tonight, which I don't usually do, since it's so cold. I can imagine the girls are huddled up by the heater chatting about chicken things.

We already have an inch or two of snow on the grown and I've noticed that my chickens don't like to walk on it. I read this before, and they seem to have read it too. I laid down an inch or two of stwat in their run since it was only dirt. (They scratched and ate all the grass within 2 weeks.)

I've noticed my gals don't like snow either...they haven't had a desire to even go outside since snow came to stay, although they do look out the window--perhaps they're dreaming of spring. I absolutely love how they chatter to each other. They have such personalities! Stay warm!

Nice looking backyard flock! Adding a wooden egg or a golf ball to the nesting box can help bring on the laying for your girls. Its not recommended that you heat your coop, as tempting as it it! It can actually be harmful. My hens do fine in very cold northern temperatures and lay well throughout the winter. Best of luck with it!

I had two golf balls in the nest boxes, but removed them a couple days ago just to see if a change would help. Not yet...

I have a ceramic heater in the coop. I know it's not what many re,commend but it seems so cold out there. It's 7*F right now outside and the heater is making the coop 22*. Temps are predicted to go to 0 tonight. Our coldest night of the season.